


Odin Dark and the Ghost of Castle Krakenburg

by ginnekomiko



Series: Tales from the Outrealms [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2018-12-25 09:11:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12032763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnekomiko/pseuds/ginnekomiko
Summary: Odin hears a ghost story and wants to see if it's true.





	1. Chapter 1

The story began when a handkerchief fell off its clothespin and was stolen by a particularly strong breeze. Odin watched as it flew into one of the towers of the castle.

“Well so much for that one!” Felicia said.

“You’re not going to go get it?” Odin asked. “Odin Dark can simply use his magic to…”

“No way! That part of the castle is haunted you know!” Felica said.

Oh?

Odin’s smile was huge. “Cursed you say? Is it a tale of dark and woe?”

“Oh yes! It was betrayal most foul,” Flora began as she fluffed the laundry she had yet to hang up.

“Oh Flora, no! She’ll curse us!” Felicia whimpered.

Flora shot her sister a playful look. “It was said that a long time ago, the King offered one of his greatest knight eternal youth and power in exchange for his loyal service for exactly one-hundred years.”

“And?” Odin prompted.

Flora shook her head a little. “The knight refused the King’s offer, saying that he could not leave his wife and infant daughter behind for that long. The King was _furious_ , in retaliation, the King burned down the knight’s home with his wife and child still inside. The ghost is said to be that of the young daughter, who wants her innocence days back.”

Now that, was an intriguing story! He was going to investigate that tower for sure!

Now, who might know a thing or two?

Wait a second! If anyone was going to know about any weird noises in any part of the castle, it was Niles.

“Niles! have you heard tell of the ghost that haunts these halls?” Odin exclaimed as he swung the door open.

“Oh yeah, I haven’t officially seen her, but I’ve heard her before,” Niles said, not even really reacting to the slightly unhinged door.

“You’ve heard the ghost?”

Niles grinned. “She said, ‘watch your step, or you’re going to die here.’ And then I was stabbed in the back by my friends and family. Good times! I also happen to know she drinks sweet liquor. I left her a bottle of it in thanks for the new job as Lord Leo’s retainer.”

“Wait, she can talk? And how do you know she likes it?”

“She left me a thank you note in the empty bottle, _obviously_. Listen Odin, I’d love to stay and chat more about her and what I know, but I want to get back to my den early today.”

Odin grinned knowingly. “Got a date?”

Niles smirked a little. “Bingo! It’ll be a first date ever for him, so I want to make sure things are all set up before he actually arrives.”

Ah, potential boyfriend, this time? Good to know.

“I’m glad to hear you’re dating again. You probably don’t need the luck, but I hope it goes well!”

“Thanks, I guess. Odin, don’t do anything stupid while I’m out,” Niles said as he adjusted the door before he shut it.

Don’t do anything stupid! Yeah right! He was a Hero of Ages! What did he have to worry about?

It was time to begin the chapter of Odin Dark: Paranormal investigator!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odin and the ghost.

Odin glanced at his supplies: A butter knife made of silver, some garlic, some cake from the kitchen, small plates, salt, and wooden toothpicks. Not the best ghost hunting supplies, but Flora only let him take so much from the kitchen before she shooed him out.

Lord Leo was visiting his siblings today, and Niles would be on his date. Candle in hand, he went to tackle the haunted corridor.

He felt a presence in this chamber, that was for sure. How exciting!

Something did know he was there, either that, or gravity was against him today. Things kept trying to fall on his head.

Laughter. Odin followed the sound through the darkened hallway. He reached out his hand and…

Touched a shoulder.

“Aww, you found me! Boo! I wanted to play more!”

It was a girl.

“You’re not a ghost!”

The girl was pale, for sure, but not colorless. Her hair had a small shade of lavender to it, and her eyes were a nice green color. Her laugh was warm, and had a cheery ring to it.

“No, sadly, but I _am_ bound to this tower by a powerful curse,” she said. “It’s very fun to spook people when I’m bored, which is often, as you can imagine. You are quite brave to venture here! My name is Beatrice.”

“I am Odin Dark, hero of ages!”

She clapped her hands together. “Ooo! A hero of the ages, you say? I bet you have some stories!””

“I sure do!”

She paused as he emptied the contents of his bag. “Is that cake?”

“Uh, yes, it is! Do you like cake?”

“Oh! I haven’t had cake in a long, long time! A guard brings me food three times a day, but it’s nothing like cake.”

“Then we shall share it!” Odin declared.

When she sat down, Odin indeed saw the magical shackles around her legs.

“Say, Beatrice,” he began.

“Bea is fine. I have a few friends, and they call me Bea.”

“Bea, then, why are you up here anyway?”

“Daddy told the King no to an offer he couldn’t actually refuse. So, of course, the King got mad.  I came here when I was really little. They basically carried my charred corpse up here.”

Odin could see now, that one side of her face was covered in burn scars.

“You don’t seem to be in any pain, but if you are, I can…”

Bea waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, no, I’m okay! Turns out I have a real talent for magic! The King really likes that about me, but of course, I learned it after the damage had become permanent, so I’m stuck with the scars.”   

“Would you like me to come again?”

“Oh, yes, very much! Can I spook you again?”

“I look forward to your attempts!”

Next time, he wanted to take a look at that cursed chain shackled around her legs. It looked to be a mix of dark and elemental magic. It would take some time to really untangle, but he was sure he could do it.

He ran into Niles on his way back. “Hey! how was your date?”

Niles paused for a moment. “It went… well. It seems he actually _likes_ just spending time with me. Granted, he liked the kissing part, too, but well, usually on my dates there’s _just_ the kissing part, if you catch my drift.”

Odin grinned. “Oh? Usually, you brag about a lot more than just kissing,”

Niles was grinning back at him. “They were _really_ good kisses, and he’s very shy.”

“Uh-huh, you wanted to take him on an actual date before you made out with him, because he’d never experienced one before, right?”

“Guilty as charged. Tell me, Odin, how was your ghost hunt?”

“Successful! We shared cake and stories! To think such a cute girl has lived like that for so long... at least Princess Lumia has her siblings come and visit her almost daily. Is Leo back from visiting her?”

“Not yet. Ah, so Bea likes you, does she? That’s nice.”

“Yeah, I think she… wait, you just called her ‘Bea.’ YOU KNEW HER NAME THIS WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?”

Niles grinned. “You never asked.”

“Odin Dark is glad that you are also her friend, but he will remember this! Just you wait! He will break those cursed shackles!”

 Niles thought for a moment. “Hmm, you know, actually, you probably could. Lord Leo has always wanted to try, but Bea won’t let him near her. She turns up all her tricks to one-hundred percent every time he’s tried to sneak in to see if she’s real. He thinks she’s an actual ghost, It’s hilarious!”

“Because he’s the son of the King who ruined her life?” Odin said.

 Niles grinned. “That, and a ‘pompous ass who sees her only as a puzzle to solve.’ It is a curse, after all, so I don’t think his purely logical method would work. My two cents is that she also needs a reason to want to leave the tower.”

“I see. Is her father, the knight, dead?”

“Oh, _oh_ you haven’t seen that part of the curse, have you? No, her father is very much alive, but he has no memory of her. He can’t even see her. I’ve witnessed her try.”

How horrible. The thought of his loving mother not being able to see him, to forget about even having him, chewed at his heart.

“Interesting,” was all he said. “Say, Niles, are you going on a second date with this guy anytime soon?”

“Probably on our next day off, why?”

“I will do it then!”

“Oh? you don’t want me to watch? Pity. Even your failures have a certain amusing flare to them.”

“I will take that as a compliment! So, what do you think, you going to keep dating him?”

“Probably, but _why_ pray tell are you so interested in my love life?”

 “Because I care about the well-being of my brother in arms!”

Niles sighed. “You know, I can never tell when your being serious or theatrical, so for the sake of my sanity, I’m going to go home. Let’s see, it’s Tuesday, so I need to go to the blacksmith’s today. Do you want anything while I’m there?”

“No, I’m okay. Unless of course, you find something really cool That screams ODIN DARK!”

“So far, you’re the only one that ever does that. Later!”

Alright! New mission: start!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark and Light.

Odin made it his new mission to see Beatrice of the Haunted Tower as often as he could manage. At first, she was genuinely surprised to see him return to her tower day after day, once his job at the castle was done, of course.

He made a habit of having his dinner with her and staying in her tower until she fell asleep. At first, she slept far away from him, in a crudely made bed in the corner. Then inch, by inch, she closed the gap between them.

One day, she asked if it was okay to give him a hug. It was a little awkward at first, he was not used to hugging girls, but he never minded holding her. It seemed like she always needed it. He didn’t ever let go of her until she pulled away from him. It also helped to remind him that she was a real girl, not a ghost.

Though, others still could not see her.

He had tried many combinations of dark, light, and natural spells, but the shackles around her legs would not budge.

“Can I tell you a secret?” she asked as they had their dinner one night.

Odin swallowed. “Sure! I happen to be very good at keeping secrets!”

“I can see the future sometimes.”

He swallowed again. “ _Really_?”

She nodded. “It’s not frequent, but…”

“HOW COOL!”

She smiled. “You actually believe me?”

“Of course!”

“I saw you in a vision recently.” She paused, as if to gauge him. “You and two others will disappear in a pillar of light one day. It doesn’t look like you come back.”

“Oh.”

“That’s why… as much as I like you, and I really, _really_ like you! I can’t…”

“Wait, you like me?”

“I do! You’re so nice and funny and… but If you’re just going to leave me like everyone else-then!”

Odin put his arms around her. “Sweetest flicker of cherished light, Odin Dark has seen that even a snagged and tangled fate can change.”

“It can?”

“It can! I lived it! In fact, I will now give you a secret that only you can know.”

“Owain?” she whispered.

He nodded. “I am Owian. Prince of a faraway kingdom.”

“Oh! That explains so much!”

“It does?”

“Yes! I figured you were from a noble house! You have the mannerisms down pat. So, you’ve come from somewhere else? That also makes sense. You did come into Prince Leo’s life rather suddenly. You confused Niles for a long time.”

“I think I still confuse him. Bea, do you also know about the three changers of fate?”

“I only know about the one in this castle. I was little then, but the king wouldn’t shut up about finding her. He tried to force my visions to see something I never could. There are two more, huh?”

“Yes, two lights, one bright, one dimmed, and the last, a storm.”

“Huh. I guess he needed me for more than just getting back at my father. Lucky me.”

Odin suddenly blushed. “Come away with me, O maiden who has only seen through the clouded eyes of dark and drear. This cold stone does not befit your delicate feet!”

She laughed a little. “Are you asking me to run away with you?”

 “Too much bravado?”

“I don’t always understand what you say fully, but I’ve gotten pretty good at Odin-speak! Only, can I play, too? I’ve always wanted to try my hand at acting! And your stories are so cool!” 

“Y-you think they’re _cool_? I mean, uh, I would gladly have you as my leading lady, O’ Beatrice Dawn!”

“Dawn?”

“Well, yeah, when I think of you, I see this bright shining light!”

The shackles fell with a heavy clang.

“Uh…”

She threw her arms around him. “I don’t know what you did, but you did it!”

“Endure just a little longer, my light. I’ll need some help to sneak you out of here.”

“It’s okay, I can wait. Please, come back soon!”

How had he managed to do that?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ghost is set free.

Odin could hardly keep the excitement to himself. He basically dragged Niles to the tower to show him his progress. Niles did raise an eyebrow when he saw Beatrice was standing sans chains.

“Oh! Hi Niles!” Beatrice said with a wave.

“Well I’ll be damned, you actually did it. Hi, Bea,” Niles said. “Odin, you didn’t just call me up here to show off, right?”

“We are moving her out of the tower now, sneakily!” Odin said.

Niles grinned. “I can do sneakily.”

“Bye barred door, I won’t miss you!” Bea said as she stepped out of her cell.

“Good old door, still has the marks on it and everything.” Niles said.

“I’m still not sure how you managed to pull that off,” Beatrice remarked.

“I am pretty legendary.”

“Wait, are you talking about what I think you’re talking about? I can understand how _I’ve_ walked in on him before, but Bea, how have you….?”

“He hooked up with my guard for a little while. I mostly heard things, but I caught a glimpse or two from these very bars,” Beatrice said.

“ _Niles_!” Odin gasped.

“ _What_?” Niles said, his expression unphased. “Said guard asked me to show her a good time in her boredom, so I did. Not my best work, sure, but it served its purpose. A quick kiss here, and a little touch there, and I was free to come and go as often as I liked. Just because s _he_ couldn’t see Bea in that cell didn’t mean I was going to let poor girl freeze over winter.”

 Odin glanced at the small sack on his back. They contained Beatrice’s precious few belongings. “Then these things came from you?”

“And what if they did?” Niles asked.

“It’s why I’m keeping them!” Beatrice said, breaking the silence. “Hey, Niles, how come you’re not around much to play anymore?”

“Once I found out you were having so much fun with Odin, here, I figured it’d be okay if I backed off a bit. I had a feeling you two would get along just fine.”

“And he has a new boyfriend!” Odin chimed in.

“And I have a new boyfriend,” Niles said with a grin.

“Ooo! Is he cute?”

“Yep! Distractingly so.”

“Can I meet him?”

“Sure. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble seeing you. He’s shy around new people and has a bit of an accent, so be nice to him.”

“An accent?” she whispered.

“Hmm? Did I say something of _interest_ , Lady Beatrice?” Niles asked.

“No, it’s nothing!” Beatrice waved her hands.

“Okay, we got her out, now what?”

“She’s coming with us!” Odin said.

“She is? Oh, this is going to be fun! Only, keeping up with us might be a bit much for her right now.”

“Oh! I was going to let her have RiverSwiftBuckMeNot!” Odin declared.

“That’s a horse he’s been raising, Bea,” Niles said, noting her confused look.

“ _Oh_. Wait, I get a horse?”

“Riding her should help you get better muscles in your legs,” Odin said. “Don’t worry, she’s very gentle.”

Beatrice stopped moving.

“What’s wron-ohhiGunther!” Odin said.

“What are you two doing at this hour?” the old knight asked.

Odin stood dumbfounded. Gunther was looking right at Beatrice, they were so close they could touch if they wanted, but he didn’t seem to see her at all.

Beatrice looked like she might cry. He wasn’t sure how her curse affected sounds, so, Odin did the only thing he could think of, he held her hand.

“Prince Leo asked us to check on his sister, since it’s so stormy outside,” Niles cut in.

Odin could feel that Niles saw what he was doing, but it probably looked weird to Gunther.

“Oh, that’s right,” Gunther said. “Is she well?”

“Yep! She’s very cozy, and Flora set up this nice noise canceling spell. I just ran into Odin on the way down,” Niles continued.

“I see. Carry on then.” Gunther looked at Odin. “Your blood aching again?”

“Yes, uh! the air is… making it restless!”

Gunther sighed, but he was turning to leave.

“Nice save,” Odin said to Niles after he was sure he was gone.

“I mean, it _was_ my job before you dragged me away,” Niles said.

“Bea, you okay?” Odin asked.

“No, I mean, I always knew he couldn’t see me, not since before the fire but… I thought… I guess it wasn’t just the chains. I’m glad he’s well, but… I was hoping…”

The knight, her father, who lost everything by refusing the King, he had been here the entire time. Always close to her, but always out of reach.

How cruel.

He squeezed her hand, but her tears had mostly dried. She was smiling despite them.

“I’m okay. I’m seeing so many possibilities right now. It’s overwhelming.”

“Are they good possibilities?”

“Some of them!”

“Bea, is there anything you really want to do right now?”

“I want to get on the horse, ride to a nice hill, and I want see the sunrise!”

“Sounds like a date to me,” Niles remarked with a grin.

“That’s because it is!” Beatrice said without missing a beat.

 Odin grinned. The ghost story may have ended, but _her_ story was only just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this went in a zillion different direction from where I started, but I'm glad people have read this and enjoyed it! I plan on having Bea show up again in my Fates fic when that gets off the ground. So if you like her, I still have plans for her (and Odin) in the future!


End file.
